ERIE COUNTY – The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) and its Office of Health Equity have published “Health Equity in Erie County: An Initial Health Disparities Assessment.” This comprehensive report documents the scope and depth of Erie County’s health disparities with an equity lens that incorporates social determinants of health (SDOH).

The New York Health Foundation defines health equity as when everyone has the opportunities and resources they need to be as healthy as possible and that no one is disadvantaged. Office of Health Equity staff, which includes epidemiologists, educators and project coordinators, developed a rich and deliberate foundation and framework for the report’s analyses of health disparities’ causes and effects.

“Established just over a year ago, the Office of Health Equity is growing into its role as a connector of people and organizations, and a hub for data, ideas and initiatives that will move Erie County forward,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “I thank them for building this foundational document. This is more than just a window into health data; it is a prism that reflects facets of our community and opportunities to improve. This work will instruct our health and wellness initiatives here in Erie County and serve as a resource and model for other communities.”  

“To build the future we want, we have to acknowledge that past systems and practices have contributed substantially to the health disparities we see in the present,” said Office of Health Equity Director Kelly Wofford. “We will build a better future, not by pointing fingers or placing blame, but by plainly and clearly stating facts.”

In Erie County, maps depicting chronic disease rates look very similar to maps that visualize geographic segregation by race, demonstrating that rates of these health conditions and factors often correspond with SDOH  and place of residence. As one of many examples, a map of countywide diabetes prevalence clearly aligns with areas in Erie County that are burdened by poverty, substandard housing, and lack of health care. Efforts to educate and change individual behaviors toward healthier food choices or exercise will have more value and better results when systemic changes are made to improve access to affordable grocery stores, safe opportunities to exercise and quality health care. 

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Individual behaviors and genetics contribute to only about 35% of health outcomes. SDOH, which include economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context – account for the rest – a majority.

“This report shows that people in our community, particularly in the Black community, immigrants and refugees, people living with disabilities and those in rural areas, face deep and enduring health disparities,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “Our task in public health and with Live Well Erie partners is to identify the systemic barriers that individuals and groups face in reaching their full health potential, and working systematically to make those barriers a thing of the past.”

The report begins with an acknowledgement that Erie County residents live on land that is regarded as the traditional homelands of Seneca and other Haudenosaunee peoples. It also includes an Enslavement and Labor Acknowledgement, speaking to the debt of people whose labor was and continues to be stolen through unjust practices.

The report includes sections on race and ethnicity, immigrant and refugee status, gender and sexual identity, and disability status as interconnected and overlapping factors that impact individual health. Additional considerations for maternal health, youth, older adults and rural communities round out the content.

A preview of this report was shared at the quarterly Live Well Erie meeting on February 16. Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera co-chairs the Live Well Erie initiative with Trina Burruss, President and CEO of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. “This report directly ties in to Live Well Erie activities, and the idea that we will leave no one behind when it comes to health and wellness,” Chimera offered. “It links insights and lived experiences from our community with data from health, economic, educational and environmental sectors. We will use this to create plans of action that improve the quality of life for everyone in Erie County. That’s our vision, and that the focus of our work.”

Later this year, ECDOH will share results of the Office of Health Equity’s comprehensive Health & Wellness Survey. “We developed this survey to collect responses from people who do not often have representation in survey-driven health data,” Wofford explained. “This demonstrates our intentional and inclusive approach to reaching specific groups through events, large and small, in Erie County.”

Community members can access the full report online at www.erie.gov/health-equity. The Office of Health Equity’s web site also includes a set of plain language newsletters on health topics in multiple languages, including getting ready for winter weather, mental health, grief, food access and disabilities.

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Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH): www.erie.gov/health

ECDOH Office of Health Equity: http://www.erie.gov/health-equity; call 716-858-2152
Erie County, Live Well Erie: www.erie.gov/livewellerie

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